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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24511501">Sylvain Goes to Therapy</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Liza_Taylor/pseuds/Liza_Taylor'>Liza_Taylor</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Byleth's Therapy Case Files [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>FE3H Kinkmeme, Feelings, Gen, Mental Health Issues, Pre-Timeskip | Academy Phase (Fire Emblem: Three Houses), Sylvain gets the therapy he needs, Therapist Byleth, Therapy, mentions of trauma</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 07:15:03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,333</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24511501</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Liza_Taylor/pseuds/Liza_Taylor</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Sylvain has been going to therapy for a while and is finally starting to get to the heart of some of his issues.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Byleth's Therapy Case Files [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1761520</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>27</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Sylvain Goes to Therapy</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Prompt fill for the 3HKink<a href="https://3houseskinkmeme.dreamwidth.org/476.html?thread=1040860#cmt1040860">Meme</a></p><p>Prompt: Sylvain goes to therapy<br/>~~~~~~~~~~~<br/>This was a prompt I KNEW I had to do once I saw it.  Especially since a LOT of the characters in the game could benefit from a therapist. For this I went with Sylvain having been in therapy for a while and Byleth somehow managed to learn all about how to be a therapist in her mercenary days.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“You’re here right on time Sylvain. Come on in.” Byleth held the door open and gestured for Sylvain to step into her office.</p><p>Sylvain gave Byleth a small smile, nothing like the bright one he usually gave to people as he stepped into Byleth’s homey office space. It was nothing like the other professors’ at Garreg Mach.</p><p>Sure, it had a wooden desk but unlike the rest of the staff, hers was against a wall, trying to be as out of the way as possible. The majority of the room was taken up by a couple chairs and a couch, all arranged to face each other, the print neutral. The floor had a beautiful multi-colored carpet over the stone floor, the walls decorated with abstract art pieces. Byleth also had a small bookshelf filled with games and binders of activities to do. No matter what Sylvain brought up, Byleth would always know exactly where to go in her bookshelf, taking something out that would be relevant to the current topic at hand. The office also smelled nicer than anywhere else at Garreg Mach, there was always an incense lit, usually a light floral scent that just made the office seem even more comforting and safe.</p><p>Like always, Sylvain grabbed one of the small toys from the basket on the bookshelf before settling in a chair. Today it was a small wooden lion and he ran his thumb along the small bumps that helped define the mane as Byleth settled in her chair, a notebook in her lap.</p><p>“Okay, ready,” she said with a bright smile. “How has your week been Sylvain? I’ve seen you around campus and it seems like you’ve been doing well.”</p><p>“Uh yeah. Everything’s been fine. Felix and I got into another argument, but just typical stuff. Ingrid’s been getting on my case about getting schoolwork done. Oh, I also went shopping in town over the weekend. But yeah, other than that, same old stuff really.”</p><p>Byleth wrote something down in her notebook. Sylvain really wanted to know what kind of stuff she wrote. Sometimes he would have a long conversation with her and she would be talking to him the whole time, the notebook forgotten, while other times she would be furiously writing something while he was talking.  Whenever he asked, she would chuckle and mention how she needed to write stuff down because she was “old” and would “forget things”. Yeah right, they were around the same age and Byleth had one of the sharpest memory he knew.</p><p>“Alright, why don’t we pick up on our conversation from last week?”</p><p>Sylvain took a deep breath, knowing that this was coming. “I have been thinking about the question you asked me a few weeks ago.”</p><p>“Remind me what it was?”</p><p>Sylvain knew that Byleth knew what the question was but her repeated it anyway. “The question about what did sleeping with all those women do for me.” He shifted his thumb to touch the lion’s back, the smooth surface much different than the more textured mane. “And the comment you made last session, about how, in a way, I was punishing myself by having relationships with women like that.”</p><p>Byleth put down her pen and leaned forward slightly in her chair but added no comment.</p><p>A few weeks ago, Sylvain would have stopped talking then and there but now he knew that Byleth was leaving the room open for him to continue his thoughts out loud. “Honestly, I think that’s true. I mean, my family like many of the nobles is all about crests and continuing the family line and with everything that happened with my brother and him being tossed aside and me being the next head of the family…it was a lot.</p><p>“And I guess a part of me feels guilty about what happened with Miklan. Even if he was cruel to me, I think a part of me thought it was my fault he was like that since I was born with a crest but he wasn’t.” He sniffled and rubbed his eyes, a few tears starting to leak out. “Dang it, I thought I could go this session without crying.”</p><p>Byleth grabbed the box of tissues and silently held it out to him.</p><p>Sylvain took a tissue and after rubbing his eyes, he continued. “So perhaps that’s why I am such a crappy person, because I don’t think I deserve to have anyone, especially women, close to me.” He sucked in a few shaky breathes as he tried to control his tears.</p><p>“Sylvain, you’re allowed to cry it out here, remember,” Byleth said softly. “You’re just relieving tension.”</p><p>“Yeah, yeah I know.” He sniffled and despite how hard it was, he let himself cry for a couple minutes. Byleth was silent the whole time, offering the tissue box but otherwise she sat in silence as he tried to sort out the turmoil in his head.</p><p>“Okay, I think I’m better now,” he said with a deep breath. He tossed the used tissues in the trashcan and rubbed his eyes.</p><p>“Sylvain, I think this would be a good time to remind you that despite this view of yourself, you <em>do</em> have the ability to make and keep positive relationships with women. Ingrid is your friend.”</p><p>“She’s been my friend since childhood,” he scoffed. “I don’t think childhood friends count.”</p><p>“Then how about Marianne and Bernadetta? You’ve told me how you realized that acting in your usual manner do would make them uncomfortable so you made the conscious effort to change your behavior to make them comfortable.”</p><p>“That isn’t anything special,” he scoffed.</p><p>Byleth leaned back in her seat, giving him a small smile. He knew that smile well, it was her, <em>“I’m calling you out on your BS and if you don’t acknowledge it now, we’re totally going to talk about this whether you like it or not.”</em></p><p>“Well, maybe it is,” he relented.</p><p>“It shows you do care and you do have it in you. We just need to work on it a bit more.”</p><p>“Right,” he said softly.</p><p>“Make that what you think about before our session next week. How can you further those positive relationships or use the lessons you learned from that to springboard having stronger relationships with others?”</p><p>“Sure…”</p><p>Byleth tilted her head slightly. “You’re hesitating. Be honest, do you think it’ll be too difficult for you?”</p><p>“No….I don’t think so…”</p><p>“You don’t sounded too sure there. What about this is stopping you? Is it still too threatening for you to think about yourself as being worth that much?”</p><p>Sylvain gulped and looked down at the lion toy, running it over his hands.</p><p>“Then let’s start smaller,” she said softly. “You  mentioned to me before that you want to read more of Bernadetta’s works. Ask her if she would be willing to let you do so.”</p><p>Sylvain stared at Byleth in disbelief. “What?”</p><p>“Ask her. Outright ask her.”</p><p>“Yes but….”</p><p>“What’s the worst that could happen? Realistically now.”</p><p>“Uh…she could say no?”</p><p>“Would you be okay with her saying no? How would you feel?”</p><p>“I mean, disappointed I guess but I get it? She seemed very embarrassed I read her work by accident.”</p><p>“And if she said yes?”</p><p>“Well, then I’ll get to read it?”</p><p>Byleth nodded slowly and Sylvain gulped. “I…I’ll try to ask her.”</p><p>“That’s all you have to do. Remember, the outcome doesn’t matter, it’s the fact that you took the step in the first place.”</p><p>After going through the end of session pleasantries, what his plans were for the next week, what he got out of this session, Sylvain stood and dropped the wooden lion back in the basket. “I’ll see you next week and uh, I guess I’ll see you tomorrow for class Professor.”</p><p>“I’ll see you then Sylvain.”</p><p>Sylvain stepped out of the office and shoved his hands in his pockets as he headed for the bathroom to wash his face.</p>
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